Love match

Tennis is the only sport in the world to use the word “love” when it comes to scoring. Ironically, when you have nothing, zero points, in tennis, this means you have “love.” But in the early ‘70s, the sports world and sports reporters had something all right — they had the “Love Match” between tennis’ top two players, Jimmy Connors and Chrissie Evert.

Connors was brash and boorish on the court. His game was about destruction and violence. Connors broke his back during every match. In a sport that harbored a private club mentality, Connors was a prizefighter. (Indeed, he played two winner-take-all prize matches at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in the mid-‘70s, winning both times.)

Evert was “Little Miss Icicle.” She moved with grace and never seemed to perspire or struggle with her emotions on the court. She played to win every point and did so with astonishing ease for her entire career, retiring with the highest winning percentage ever.

They had little in common — Connors was from Ohio, Evert from Florida. Evert had her dad as a coach; Connors his mom. In fact, all they really seemed to have in common was a two-handed backhand and the Wilson racquets they used to play with.

Tennis is the only major sport where men and women play simultaneously. No match is televised without repeated cuts to the girlfriend or husband of the player on the court. Connors and Evert were the Charles and Diana of their day, and the whole world watched.

Rumors that the then 17-year-old Evert and 19-year-old Connors were dating began swirling when the two started missing tennis practices, instead going on dates. The missed practices were few and far between, however, and both became top-10 players. Then, in 1973, Connors proposed to Evert, and she accepted.

Going into the 1974 Wimbledon Championships, bookies were giving 33-1 odds that the engaged couple would win Wimbledon. They both rolled through the tournament in convincing fashion, despite the incredible pressure on them both to win, and emerged victorious. Together, standing on the famed Centre Court of Wimbledon, they held their trophies aloft and kissed. Later that night, Connors gave her a gold charm bracelet — a style of jewelry still referred to as a “tennis bracelet.”

Eventually, both decided that their schedules and desire to be No. 1 made their proposed marriage impossible. Evert went on to marry John Lloyd, and later, Olympic skier Andy Mills. Now divorced, Evert has been linked with golfer Greg Norman. Weep not for Connors, though. He briefly dated a Miss World after the breakup before settling down with famous Playboy playmate Patty McGuire, a love match that has lasted to this day.